Three entirely different moods are portrayed so sensitively in the first three stanzas of this poem by the monk Bhūta—the first wild and clamorous, the second bright and benevolent, the third dark and mysterious. Constant among these dramatic changes of nature is the meditating monk, content in any setting. Mindful awareness allows all things to be just what they are, undisturbed by the reconstructions of the petty ego. Like the tiny figure in a Chinese landscape painting, the monk blends into … [Read more...]
The Aṭṭhaka-vagga of the Sutta Nipata
Issho Fujita is a Japanese zen monk who has been the resident teacher at Valley Zendo in Chariemont, Western Massachusetts since 1987. This article is extracted from a weekend workshop offered at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in March 2000. My interest in studying this Pali text is an attempt to go back to the Buddha himself. Of course, we don't know exactly what he said. But according to most scholars the Pali texts are the earliest available teachings of the Buddha. And the Sutta … [Read more...]
Taking Responsibility for Our Thoughts: Reflections on the Vitakkasaṇṭhāna Sutta
One of the first insights of vipassanā practice is the recognition that the mind has a mind of its own. When we finally begin to attend to the dynamics of our thinking processes, we realize that thoughts often seem to arise of their own accord, with little or no apparent prompting or direction. Where do these thoughts come from after all? It might seem that our thoughts are thoroughly beyond our control, that we have no choice about the kinds of things that drift across our minds. Are we … [Read more...]
Awareness of Thinking: Recollective Awareness Practice
Jason Siff, a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in the late 1980's, has been teaching meditation in the United States since 1990. He is the founding teacher of the Skillful Meditation Project in Los Angeles. He will teach Awareness of Thinking at BCBS August 13-17. Insight Journal: We heard something about your upcoming book, Thoughts are Not the Enemy, about a year ago. Are you getting any interesting reactions to the ideas in the book? Jason Siff: The book will be released in October, though I … [Read more...]
Meeting Your Thoughts At a Resting Place
There is a particular discourse, titled, Vitakkasanthāna Sutta, that is taught as the Buddha's way of working with thoughts in meditation, for when I teach in a more traditional or orthodox setting, I encounter people who swear by it and take me to task on it. So, I am now going to face my biggest critic, the Buddha himself, as he is interpreted by scholars and lay meditation teachers alike. When this discourse is viewed with unprejudiced eyes regarding thinking in meditation, the Buddha may … [Read more...]